High school exit exam sees pass rate of 90.6%

SAN FRANCISCO — About nine of 10 seniors in the class of 2009 passed the high school exit exam that became a graduation requirement in California three years ago, the state Department of Education said yesterday.

About 90.6 percent of the class — 433,000 students — had passed by the end of their senior year, up slightly from the 90.4 percent pass rate from 2008, but below the 93.3 percent rate for 2007, according to state data.

The exam, which tests 10th-grade English and ninth-grade math skills, became a requirement for students to earn their diplomas in 2006.

Students first take the exam in 10th grade and can take it up to seven more times to pass the math and English sections.

The new data showed increases in the percentage of high school sophomores who had passed the exam on their first attempt in 2009.